WASHINGTON D.C., DC — The United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission Friday of price changes scheduled to take effect next year.
Beginning Jan. 24, 2021, mailing services product prices will go up approximately 1.8% for First-Class Mail and 1.5% for other categories, the USPS said in a press release.
Although Mailing Services price increases are based on the consumer price index, competitive International Shipping Services prices are primarily adjusted according to market conditions, the USPS said.
"The governors believe these new rates will keep the Postal Service competitive while providing the agency with needed revenue," the USPS said.
If favorably reviewed by the PRC, the new prices will include no increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, which would remain at 55 cents, the USPS said. The single-piece letter additional ounce price would increase to 20 cents, the metered mail 1-ounce price would increase to 51 cents, and the prices of postcard stamps would increase to 36 cents.
Single-piece 1-ounce flat prices will remain unchanged at $1, according to the USPS.
The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:
The Postal Service said it has some of the lowest letter-mail postage rates in the industrialized world and continues to offer a great value in shipping. Unlike some other shippers, the USPS said, it does not add surcharges for fuel, residential delivery or regular Saturday delivery.
The PRC will review the prices before they are scheduled to take effect. The complete Postal Service price filings with prices for all products can be found on the PRC site under the Daily Listings section at prc.gov/dockets/daily.
For the Mailing Services filing, see Docket No. R2021-1. For the International Shipping Services filing, see Docket No. CP2021-15. The price change tables are also available on the Postal Service’s Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
